Morris Minor Owners Club

WHEN THESE PACK UP & YOU HAVE TO SMACK IT TO GET IT GOINGING AGAIN, TICK TICK TICK! DOES THAT INDICATE ITS THE POINTS THAT ARE THE PROBLEM RATHER THAN SOMETING MORE COMPLEX WITHIN THE PUMP BODY?

Yes - the points are sticking. They may only need a quick bit of trimming with an abrasive like a nail file.

a bit of fine sandpaper cleans them up for a long time. You can buy new sets of points too!

Anyone know what value the capacitor across the points should be?
I'm guessing mine's faulty as the <rude word> thing started playing up again t'other day and I only fitted new points a month ago. Grrrr.

Maybe it's worth the extra for the electronic version after all. Sigh.

Something around 0.1 to 1 microfarad should do the job nicely.

But it's only there as a radio suppressor - not specifically to prevent sparks.

Even though Minors were never fitted with radios... and certainly not in 1948!

bmcecosse wrote:But it's only there as a radio suppressor - not specifically to prevent sparks.

Hmm, that begs the question why the new points fail after only a month whereas the original ones lasted a few years with zero maintenance...

Also I'm thinking "fuel, sparks, bad". OK, it's under the plastic cover with the join taped over (until I had to 'fix' it the 2nd time and didn't bother putting the tape back).

Were the new points genuine parts - or copies? Even in 1948 they had radios - in houses ! As a child I can remember the interference caused by cars passing the house - added extra static to Dan Dare , Pilot of the Future !

Even in 1948 they had radios - in houses ! As a child I can remember the interference caused by cars passing the house

Aye, lots of unsurpressed HT! Nothing to do with capacitors on fuel pumps!

bmcecosse wrote:Were the new points genuine parts - or copies? Even in 1948 they had radios - in houses ! As a child I can remember the interference caused by cars passing the house - added extra static to Dan Dare , Pilot of the Future !

The points came from ESM in a plain box -didn't say "SU" anywhere.

And now you can still enjoy RF interference by watching channel 5 on Freeview!

...If they can be bothered providing Free 'View' where you live...
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Oh the 'tick' of the pump can be heard on the radio too - maybe not inside the house. Sounds like your points may have a doubful heritage - buy the correct ones from Burlen. They have a good web site.

Definately NOT inside the house!

Well, a radio will pick up any 'noise' at the appropriate frequency which is on top of the power supply. Especially wideband 'sparking' noise. But the capacitor was not fitted for noise supression as radios were not fitted into the VAST majority of cars when those SU pumps were on the market. The reason was spark supression to vastly extend the life of the points contacts themselves as sparking causes carbonisation and erosion.

Go to www.burlen.co.uk They supply all genuine SU parts, just tell them what you want on their contact section and they will email back with price. Cheaper than any other supplier for quality bits. Have used them for jets, needles, throttle spindles etc. for years. The points you get from many suppliers are complete crap!

Well this is interesting, I have a standard SU petrol pump which
does not have,and never has had, a capacitor on/in it! None of
my previous Minors had capacitors either! There is no mention of
a capacitor in the workshop manual and my pump has been trouble
free for the last nine years!! My radio,which has a lousy aerial
suffers no interference either!

Modern radios are better suppressed. The capicor was usually fitted externally to the pump - to suppress the 'tick' on older style radios. Even with the capacitor I can still hear it on mine when idling. At speed of course it is all lost in the general clamour !

Ive bought new double points, fitted them & it works a treat now.

Ok next job!!